Let me tell you about the past week.
My landlady went into surgery and spent about 24 hours in the hospital on Wednesday, August 17, thankfully the day after I got an emergency pandemic allotment of about $140 on my EBT card. With the trailer that I live in being uninhabitable most of the time in the hot, humid Virginia August weather, Mom and I have been camped out in my landlady’s living room, with Mom sleeping in the recliner and me sleeping in a bed in my landlord’s office. Generally, we’ve been eating meals communally – me, Mom, my landlady and her husband, their two grown children, fellow renter and single-leg amputee Big Steve, and occasionally my landlady’s grandson, who’s a surprisingly picky eater for someone who’s 18 and already severely obese.
Usually, it’s been my landlady doing the cooking for the house, with me occasionally chipping in. But she would be gone for a day and possibly out of commission for much longer. Left to their own devices, I shudder to think what culinary monstrosities the rest of the household would inflict upon the world. So it’s next man up, and that next man was me. I went to Food Lion and Kroger on the 16th and got enough food to make sure we’d all get to eat dinner for the next six days. Breakfast and lunch, just me and Mom. Y’all can figure your OWN shit out.
Wednesday, August 17: Lasagna and garlic bread. I didn’t buy those preservative-loaded Stouffer’s things, either. I have found a brand they stock at my Food Lion that is a bit more expensive ($12.99 for 2 1/2 pounds, and I needed to buy two of them to feed everyone) but they have no artificial preservatives and are restaurant-quality in terms of taste. Mom made the garlic butter, cut the Italian bread, and prepared it. YUM. This was the first of three (non-consecutive) days that my landlady’s picky grandson was with us; he usually lives with his father. I gave him limited control over the order of the menu, not wanting to deliberately make something that he wouldn’t eat. He LOVES this lasagna.
Thursday, August 18: Melt in Your Mouth Chicken and French Onion Roasted Potatoes. This is a meal I deliberately scheduled for when grandkid wasn’t here. I can’t comprehend why, but he doesn’t dig on the chicken. It turns out great every time, though. I make it with a Duke’s Mayonnaise sauce, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and Lowry’s seasoned salt. With some French Onion Roasted Potatoes, it really hits the spot.
Friday, August 19: Sloppy Joes. What the hell. Everybody loves Sloppy Joes. Stick 2 1/2 pounds of ground beef in the IP to saute, add Manwich sauce, insist on being called chef by everyone who addresses you. (Day 2 of grandkid.)
Saturday, August 20: Tortelloni and Garlic Bread. I bought two Italian loaves at the store and I was getting concerned about the viability of the second one, so I didn’t hold off on it any longer. The Tortelloni was stuffed with sausage, I believe.
Sunday, August 21: Quiche. Boy, did I make a hit here. Out of everything I made this week, it was the most universally praised. I rarely heard a single discouraging word all week about my cooking, but even my landlady (in vain) went back for seconds on this one, and she’s had gastric bypass surgery and can’t eat as much by nature. She never goes back for seconds, and often has her husband eat what she can’t. Oh, well. Next time, I’ll make two.
Monday, August 22: Chili in the Instant Pot. Requires soy sauce and unsweetened cocoa, among other things. Also a big hit. Some of the family scooped their chili with Fritos; I did not.
I had fun this past week, and it really helped me find a sense of purpose and belonging, especially helpful after a manic episode I had last week that landed me in the hospital for a few hours. It also served as a food funeral of sorts for Mom, who will start her liquid diet on the first of the month as she prepares for gastric sleeve surgery.
If anyone is interested in recipes, I’ll post them in this thread upon request.
